Doctors and patients need to work more closely to ensure positive health outcomes, experts concluded after a series of medical safety promotional activities this week.
The awareness-raising events were sponsored by the Taipei City Government Department of Health (Taipei DOH) and the Taipei Medical University (TMU).
At the center of the activities, TMU presented a survey of 1,246 medical professionals and 1,503 former patients detailing the most pressing concerns of medical practitioners and those in their care.
Perhaps unexpectedly, the survey showed that medical professionals see themselves as more conscientious than the public thinks they are. Thirty percent of patients said that doctors do not wash their hands before seeing patients, but 84 percent of doctors say that they do so.
Similarly, 30 percent of patients say that their doctors do not make a point of asking about their medical record, a precaution 83 percent of doctors say they take.
On the doctor's side, their main complaint about patients' behavior is the tendency of some patients to diagnose themselves and demand specific medical services without clearly describing their symptoms to their doctors. Sixty-three percent of doctors and 62 percent of patients describes this behavior as prevalent.
"Some patients come in and ask for this test or that drug as if they are ordering items off a menu," said Hu Chaur-jong (
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"Taiwan has one of the most powerful computer-based medical information systems in the world," he said. "But automated systems are no substitute for being clear and up-front with your doctor."
In the event of a medical dispute, patients should seek to resolve the issue through official channels rather than going to the press, urged Lee Pi-hui (李碧慧), deputy section chief of the Taipei DOH's medical management section.
"Running to the media or to elected representatives is the worst way to proceed," she said.
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